10 most common nightmares and what they mean

Have you ever been chased, witnessed your own death or had your teeth fall out in your dreams? Do not worry, you are not alone. Nightmares are an extremely common phenomenon. Researchers and experts clarify that our dreams echo the pattern of our behaviour. Our dreams reflect what we are and what’s going on in our minds. Though decoding dreams is not that easy, here is a simple guide to decode some common nightmares.

Not all negative dreams qualify as nightmares. For a dream to be a nightmare, it has to be a vivid experience, which makes you feel sad or scared. Nightmares occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) phase of sleep. REM usually happens after you have been asleep for several hours. Nightmares are common in both adults and children. You tend to experience more nightmares when you are stressed for a long time.

If you dream of being chased, it suggests that you are running away from someone or something, which is causing anxiety. The dream also signifies that you have a tendency to run away or avoid particular things.

The chaser in your dreams can also represent an aspect of yourself e.g. your own feeling like anger, jealousy or fear as a threatening figure chasing you.

Dreaming about your teeth falling out can be linked to insecurities about your physical appearance and how others perceive you. It indicates that you are feeling like you are falling short of expectations in some parts of your life.

Such dreams stem from the fear of rejection or feeling unattractive. If you are dreaming this too often, you are experiencing self-confident issues.

Dreaming of finding yourself naked in public might sound funny but when experienced, it's very degrading and humiliating. The message of the dream means you are afraid of being judged. And if you experience this dream too often, it means fear of judgement is holding you back.

If you dream of some other person who is naked in your dreams and you are sickened by it, it means you are worried about exposing the other person.

Exam dreams might feel so real sometimes that you might actually get up thinking that you actually failed or missed your exam. At least one in every five people experience an exam dream in their lives. The dream signifies your inability to advance in your next stage in life.

Dreaming about a tough time flying suggests that something or someone is stopping you from moving on to the next step of life. If you are afraid of flying (travelling in aeroplanes) you might be having trouble keeping up with high goals that you have set for yourself. If you are alone in your dream and struggling to fly, it means you are lacking confidence in yourself.

Falling in your dreams is really common. They are so common that we can bet all of us have experienced them not just once but multiple times in our lives. The dream shows anxiety and insecurity about a situation.

Dreaming of cars represents our drive in life and the direction we are taking. If you dream of your car going out of control, it means you are feeling off track at this stage of your life and need to get back on the right road to keep going.

Being late in your dreams represents your worries and anxiety about taking a different direction in life. It also means you are trying hard to get things done but you are running out of time.

Missing important events like a wedding, meeting or an exam might wake you up troubled. The dream might make you feel stressed, sad and mortified. Such dreams signify your expectations and worries that you are unable to live up to.